Ahead of the curve and behind it

October 28, 2016

Last night I think I had the most fun I have had in the game in a very long time. It was raid night, and we downed both Cenarius and Xavius in heroic, giving us our EN 7/7(H). It was not easy, nor was it especially pretty, and we killed them by the hairs of our chinny chin chins, but we did it. There were cheers and hoots and hollers all around, and much posing for screen shots, and in general it was just very cool.

This to me is where the main fun is in WoW. It is a social game, after all, and even extreme introverts like myself can enjoy that. We started our Legion raiding season the first night Emerald Nightmare was active (September 20? I think). About 25 people showed up that first night, and the team has varied a bit over the last 5 weeks but has kept a fairly consistent core of 18-25 members. The guild has some people that have played together for many years, but it is a very active guild in terms of recruitment, the founders are extremely open and welcoming to new members, and it has been interesting to watch a collection of individuals come together and function as a team. Kudos to the GM, raid leaders and officers for providing the conditions for success.

There was some talk of where we might go from here, so I guess there will be some discussions about that in the coming days. We are not really a Mythic raiding guild, but of course inevitably that will be one of the options discussed. If we go that route I am not sure I should be part of it. I am not an exceptional raider by any measure, more of a reliable member of the chorus line. My damage numbers are usually respectable but not remarkable, and it often takes me a bit longer than others to catch on to certain mechanics. (Tornadoes come to mind, and I never did catch on to Durumu’s maze.)

Also, my gear is approaching the “stinks” level when compared to others on the team. As I mentioned a few days ago, my RNG luck is approaching catastrophic. Last night I noticed that, of 21 raid team members, 20 had legendaries equipped. Guess who was the only person not to have one (much less two or three, as some do)? And honestly, well-intended advice to “just run Mythics and do emissary quests” is annoying, not helpful. I think I have missed doing only one emissary quest since WQs opened for me. I run 4-5 Mythics a week, some regular, some pluses. I have never missed doing a weekly world boss since they started, and I have never gotten even a single piece of gear from any of them — always only gold. I have gotten to the point where I save up my emissary chests and open several at a time so as to concentrate the disappointment rather than have it more frequently. When I do get gear from world or other quests, the only time I seem to win an upgrade is if it is so low level that I can’t equip it, and then the lucky upgrade I get is +5, making it a slightly higher piece for vendoring.

Supposedly there is some sort of “bad luck insurance” Blizz has instituted for people like me. I guess their definition of bad luck is a lot different than mine is, because I see zero evidence of any kind of insurance kicking in. I think it is at least a 50-50 bet that it does not exist, it is just a lie perpetrated by Blizz to keep people like me on the hook.

That great oracle of fun, Ion Hazzikostas, is fond of lecturing us on how much more fun RNG is than boring old tokens or other currency, that it is a real rush when you unexpectedly get a great piece of gear. What he asininely fails to admit is that, when you are consistently on the butt end of the probability curve, it is frustrating beyond belief to see literally everyone around you get the RNG rewards — some multiple times — and there is absolutely nothing zero zip nada you can do to get them yourself. There is no skill or persistence that can help you get that random drop. He has said it is not fun to grind for gear, but that is exactly what some of us are doing, except there is no guarantee whatsoever that the grind will ever be successful. At least with a currency system, you know that eventually you will get what you are grinding for.

And here’s a news flash for you, Ion: after weeks and months of bad luck, it is no longer fun even if you do finally get a drop. It is just a relief that you will temporarily not have to face daily disappointment, that you will now be on a par with other players — at least until their luck inevitably kicks in before yours does again.

Getting the AotC achievement last night was fantastic fun. I was part of team that worked for it — we were completely in charge of our success or failure, and it was a real rush when we eventually succeeded. It just felt good. Being behind the curve on RNG-based gear feels terrible, more so because players have zero control over their fate, and no amount of hard work will result in success.